Combined carrying case and projection unit



1948- M. R. uu'r c'Hlso u, [JR 2,450,757

COMBINED CARRYING CASE AND PROJECTION UNIT Filed larch 27, 1945 I l I ,1, MILLERR.HUTCHBOMJR.

' reels of film,

Patented Oct. 5, 1948 COMBINED CARRYING CASE AND PROJECTION UNIT M iller It. Hutchlson,

Jr., Rochester, N. Y., assignor to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester. N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 27. 1945, Serial No. 585,067 comma, (CI. 8824) This application relates to projection units used in projecting pictures. One object of my invention is to provide a projection unit for holding a projection screen in both a rolled-up. carrying condition, and an extended position in which it is adapted to receive projected images. Another object of my invention is to provide such a unit in which the carrying case forms a support for the screen when in use ported or stored away. Another object of my invention is to provide a combined carrying case and screen unit which includes not only a screen but a loud speaker so arranged that sound can be produced from behind the screen. Another object of my invention is to provide a projection unit in the form of a single carrying case which may enclose various elements used in projection and to provide a case with which a screen can be quickly set up and taken down. A, further object of my invention is to provide speaker air battling and improve sound fidelity, and. other objects will appear from the following specification, the novel features being particularly pointed out in the claims at the end thereof.

Coming now to the drawings wherein like reference characters denote like parts throughout:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my projection position by means of the latches 4 and 5. A

carrying handle 8 is preferably carried by a wall 7 which forms one wall of four which are'arranged in a generally rectangular shape as indicated in Figure 2.

The wall 1 lies opposite a similar wall 8, the

' walls 1 and 8 being spaced by two additional walls and iii. These walls may be referred to and also when it is transas a top wall 9, a bottom wall ID, a front wall 8 and a back wall I, because when the unit is set up in an operative position, these walls assume I the positions referred to.

unit in a closed position ready for transporting the unit or storing it.away, this unit being constructed in accordance with and embodying a preferred form of my invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the projection unit shown in Figure 1, opened up into a position in which the screen may be stretched across the supporting doors thereof;

Figure 3 is a perspective view or a typical projection setup using the projection unit shown in the preceding figures, and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of a portion of the projection unit showing the screen stretched across the supporting members ready for projection.

My invention consists broadly of a projection unit which is adapted to carry a sound projector, accessories, and which includes a built-in loud speaker and screen. The speaker is provided with air bafiling to improve sound fidelity. It may be fixedly mounted in the unit and lies partially behind the screen when the latter is in an image-receiving position.-

More specifically, my projection unit may consist of a case, shaped-somewhat like a suitcase, and designated broadly as I in Figure 1, this case having apair of oppositely disposed hinged doors 2 and 1 which may be held in a latched hinged door supports 2 and their hinges 21 and 28. They may be supported The hinged wall 2 forms one side of the complete carrying case and it is preferably provided with a flange II which extends completely around the edge of the wall. This flange, of course, makes the cover member 2 rigid and it likewise affords a space for cornerblocks i2, each of which carries an element I! of a snap latch which may be similar to a glove. fastener; The cover member 2 carries a bracket l4 hingedly supporting a brace rod 15, the end of which i6 may engage an opening il in a partition l8 to hold the cover member 2 in the open position shown in Figure 2. The cover member 2 may also be provided with a plurality of posts i9 about which a loud speaker cord 20 may be looped when not in use.

On the opposite side of the unit there is a second hinged door 3 similar to the hinged door 2 in shape and including a flange 2i extending around'the periphery. Inside of the flange 2! space, furthest from the hinge connection to the case, there are ,a pair of supporting blocks 22 from its roller 21 into its operative position of Figure 4. The roller 21 may be of a standard spring-roller type used for window shades or the like, and may or may not have the usual roller clutch -feature.

From Figure 4 is should be noticed that the I are swung upon in a position just beyond 90 from the top wall a of the supporting walls. The hinged member 3 has a-supporting brace 29 similar to thesupporti'ng brace'l5 of the hinged door2 and adapted to hold the hinged door 3 in a similar position. It will thus be seen that the extreme outer edges and ii of the doors extend slightly further than the inner edges "and 22 thereof so that the curtain 23 may be stretched in a plane extending between the edges in and ii. This is done so that the curtain may be stretched taut in an operative position and so that it will also be spaced from the front wall 8.

The front wall 8 carries a loud speaker 28 as indicated in Figure 2 to which the cord 20 is connected in a compartment 38 in the carrying case and the speaker remains in this compartment both for storage and in use. Thus, the lower portion of the screen 22 is stretched across a portion of the front of the speaker so that sound emanates from the picture-receiving area of the screen. Lying at least partially beneath the screen, the screen does not appreciably interfere with sound fidelity.

If desired, the screen 23 may be provided with a black or light-absorbing edge 21 and a reflecting picture-receiving surface 28 which can conveniently be made with a beaded surface, such surfaces being well known for projection screens.

The carrying case may also be provided with a series of compartments 38 for receiving film spools 40 with a compartment H for receiving any necessary accessories and with a relatively large compartment 42 for receiving a projector 43 as indicated in Figure 3.

The projection unit supports the screen and loud speaker in the most desirable position as indicated above, and the generally rectangular body of the case consisting of the walls I, 8, 8, and I0 forms a satisfactory support'for, the screen 23 and a support which is sufficiently light to be placed on some piece of standard furniture in a home such as a card table T. The projector 43 can be located on a suitable support or table Tl and the cord 20 unwound from its supporting position Hi can be used to connect the loud speaker with the sound head of the projector 43.

With a projection unit as above described, the operation of setting up the screen'and projector for sound pictures can be quickly and easily accomplished. With the parts in the suitcaselike container l the screen can be set up by placing the container on its bottom wall I 0 and opening the doors 2 and 3, swinging them outwardly until the braces l5 and 29 will hold them in their set position. The operator may then unroll the curtain 23 from its roller 21 stretching .the curtain across the two outer edges and 3| of the hinged doors 2 and 3 and fastening the end of the curtain 25 about the flange II of the hinged door 2 by means of the snap fasteners I3, 26. This Will'hold the screen taut and in an operative position. The projector 43 may be removed from compartment 42 and the electric cord 20 unwound from the supports it so that these can be set up as indicated in Figure 3 and the device is ready for receiving pictures. Since the loud speaker is partially located behind the screen 23, the sound will always appear to come from the projected pictures and thus obtain the usual realistic effect obtained by much more expensive projection equipment. In addition,

I claim:

1. A photographic'proiection unit, comprising in combination, a carrying case includin top, bottom -and side walls, end walls hingedly atta'ched to the carrying case forming a pair of oppositely'disposed doors, means for holding the doors open and in substantially parallel relationship, a roller screen attached to one door near an outer edge thereof, and a fastening device attached to an outer edge of the opposite door, and means carried by the roll screen for attaching. an edge of the screen to the fastening device to stretch the screen taut across the carrying case and opened doors.

2. A projection unit as defined in claim 1 in which the means holding the doors open holds the doors slightly out of parallel with a line outside of the inner edges of the doors and joining the outer edges thereof, whereby said outer edges may define the plane of the screen stretched across the doors.

3. A photographic in combination, bottom and side tached to and on opposite edges of one of said walls of the carrying case forming a pair of oppositely disposed doors, means for holding the doors open and in substantially parallel relationship, a

projection unit, comprising a carrying case including top,

roller screen attached to one door near an outer.

edge thereof, and a fastening device attached to an outer edge of the opposite door, and means carried by the roll screen i'orattaching an edge of the screen to the fastening device to stretch the screen taut across the carrying case and opened doors, and a loud speaker mounted in the carrying case between the two doors.

4. A photographic projection unit, comprising in combination, a carrying case including top, bottom and side walls, end walls hingedly attached to and on opposite edges of one of said walls of the carrying case forming a pair of oppositely disposed doors, means for holding the doors open and in substantially parallel relationship, a

roller screen attached to one door near an outer edge thereof, said screen being of less length than lower portion of the screen spaced from the lower since at least'a portion of the speaker lies beneath skilled in the art and I consider as within the scope of my invention all such forms as may come within the scope of the appended claims.

edges of the doors and the edge of the casing to which the doors are hinged, and a loud speaker mounted in the carrying case between the two doors, and at least partially behind the screen stretched across the carrying case and the two opened doors.

5. A photographic projection unit comprising,

in combination, a generally rectangular casing having four walls, a pair of cover members hingedly attached to the generally rectangular easing along opposite edges of the same wall, each cover member including a flanged outer wall adapted to be swung'to an open position, braces for holding. the cover members in an open position with their outer edges in alignment and extendin beyond the inner edgesadjacent the hinges thereof, a roller revolubly mounted on the outer edge of one door inside the flange thereon, a roll curtain carried by the roller, cooperating fasteners on the edge of the opposite door in an operative position stretched across the doors and casing in a'position to receive a projected walls, end walls hingedly atand on the curtain for holding the curtain' image, a. wall of the casing forming, with an edge door, a support for the screen.

6. A photographic projection unit as called for in claim 4 characterized by the hinged walls and the supporting wall for the loud speaker constituting an air baffie for the speaker.

MILLER R. HUTCHISON, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flie of this patent:

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Gahill Mar. 13, 1917 Koch Sept. 7, 1920 Jones May 10, 1927 Stanley Jan. 22, 1935 Erwood Aug. 23, 1938 Freimann Dec. 6, 1938 McClure Oct. 21, 1941 Larson Mar, 28, 1944 Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,450,? 57 October 5, 1948.

MILLER R. HUTCHISON, JR. It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

insert of each; and that the said.

Column 5, line 1, claim 5, after the Word edge Letters Patent should be read. with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 28th day of December, A. D. 1948.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Commissioner of Patents.

Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,450,757. October 5, 1948.

MILLER R. HUTCHISON, JR. It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the ab numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 5, line 1, claim 5, after the Word edge insert of each; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the reco rd of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 28th day of December, A. D. 1948.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Gammz'ssz'oner of Patents. 

